When it comes to art and design, you can’t go wrong with minimalism. This is also the reason why minimalist pieces are timeless. So what makes an art piece stand out from the many minimalist designs in a contemporary art market?

Totto is a collection of high plates designed by Maddalena Casadei, an Italian architect with an MA in Design at Domus Academy, and Dunja Weber, a Luxembourgish industrial designer who graduated from the faculty of Industrial Design at the Glasgow School of Art. The artists happened to meet each other in 2004 while working on the team of the globally renowned Artist James Irvine. 

The Totto high-plates are in matte white earthenware with coloured glazing on the inside available in three sizes and five colours - earthy shades including dolomite, obsidian and quartz as well as the aqua ones, erinite and montana. The nature-inspired accent colours inject just the right amount of playfulness to the high-plates for a more visually pleasing appeal yet still exemplify simplicity at its best. 

Geometric shapes and minimalism make an exquisite pairing, as it can ensure the style shines through a naturally clean design without any over-the-top embellishments. The pared-down artworks impress from the very first glance by simply incorporating pure geometric shapes that lend to a modern touch and a captivating visual interest. The plates look like a Mexican sombrero if you turn it upside-down. 

Maddalena Casadei’s approach is based on continuous and personal interaction with clients and technicians, whereas Dunja’s ambition is to design products that are coherent and essential in every sense. Despite different approaches, the artists created a collection that truly speaks for themselves through their very unique lens of aesthetics and still is in harmony with each other’s philosophy of art. 

With its whimsical play on shapes yet simple fine lines and curated choice of colours, the collection is going to take your home style up a notch!